The Houston Rockets are considered contenders to land Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, but the Rockets also have a backup plan if those two stars fall through. The Rockets are expected to make a legitimate push for Chris Bosh in the event they strike out on their other targets.

ESPN’s Marc Stein reports that the Rockets believe they can sway Bosh away from Miami in the event that LeBron James re-signs with the Heat on a max contract. This news conflicts with earlier reports that many NBA executives believed that the "Big 3" would re-sign with the Heat soon after free agency began.

“Most league observers continue to believe that Heat president Pat Riley ultimately will convince all three Heat stars to re-up by next week, even if Bosh and Wade are forced to take pay cuts.

But sources say the Rockets are determined to test Bosh's resolve in the event Anthony elects to return to the New York Knicks or chooses one of his other three primary suitors this week: the Chicago Bulls, the Dallas Mavericks or the Los Angeles Lakers.

Houston needs a big forward with 3-point range such as Bosh in its search for the ideal frontcourt sidekick to All-Star center Dwight Howard. Sources say Bosh and Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki likely would have been at the top of the Rockets' list of free-agent targets had Houston believed it had a shot at either player.”

The Rockets are going all-in this offseason in an attempt to find the third piece to the puzzle that would compliment James Harden and Dwight Howard. Stein also reports that Houston would have pursued Dirk Nowitzki had he opted to test the market instead of resigning with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Rockets have already started to pave the way for one more huge contract by trading Omer Asik to the New Orleans Pelicans for a future first round pick. The next step for the Rockets is to shed Jeremy Lin’s contract and have opened up trade talks with the Philadelphia 76ers to do just that.

The Rockets have set themselves up for success and if they don't walk away with another max contract player it would have to be considered a major upset.

[ESPN]

Give us a shoutout in the comments below and follow us @SportsWN and @Edler56